CICIG - The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala
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At the forum "Young and Committed", Commissioner Iván Velásquez called upon the youth to join forces in fighting impunity.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands supports CICIG

Guatemala, November 19, 2009.  The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands made an important donation to CICIG for its operations over the next two years. This donation will strengthen the work of the Commission, which, according to Ambassador Teunis Kamper, has achieved results in the areas of investigation, legislation and cooperation.  René Mauricio Valdés, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Guatemala, and Carlos Castresana Fernández, CICIG Commissioner, were present in the donation event.

According to the Ambassador, “during the last two years, CICIG has demonstrated that major achievements can be made in the fight against impunity and lawlessness if Guatemalan institutions and CICIG work together. There are investigative results: CICIG investigators, together with prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, successfully gathered evidence in approximately 15 major cases. (...) There are results in the area of legislation: At the suggestion and with the support of CICIG, Congress approved several initiatives. (...) I hope Congress will take prompt action on the other proposals, including those on amparo and antejuicio. [“Amparo” is a special procedure in which an appeal for legal protection is made when there is an alleged violation of fundamental human rights. “Antejuicio” is a special form of impeachment proceedings against public official charged with criminal offences during his/her terms of public service.] Results were achieved in the area of collaboration: with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of the Interior, the Judiciary and civil society and with regard to the Nominating Committees and the election of Judges." 

Ambassador Kamper stressed the positive role played by civil society in bringing about necessary changes in the justice system in Guatemala. "If somebody requested my advice, I would say: 'Take advantage of the presence of the CICIG, it's worth it'", referring to the joint work that should be carried out by the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, if some day Guatemala is to have a good judicial system without impunity and with excellent legal certainty.

CICIG Commissioner Carlos Castresana said, "I believe that today is an opportunity not only to give thanks, but to reiterate, for the benefit of those in Guatemala who may not know this, that CICIG is a political effort of the United Nations and Guatemala, but more than that, it is a financial effort on the part of the friends of CICIG, who are the friends of Guatemala: friends of the international community". 

Castresana repeated that the creation agreement for CICIG expressly establishes that neither the United Nations nor Guatemala make financial contributions to the Commission, which is wholly funded through voluntary contributions by the international community. He stressed that although there are about 15 friendly countries or donors, in addition to the support provided by the Netherlands, CICIG receives most of its financial assistance from Canada, the European Community, Spain, Sweden and the United States.

Eight or ten Western European countries and five or six Latin American countries also contribute the services of police officers and investigators. This ensures CICIG’s independence, because none of the countries that make financial contributions to the Commission is the main donor.

Regarding the future of CICIG, Castresana explained that Canada, the European Commission, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States have pledged their ongoing financial support to the Commission for the next two years. 

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        About Guatemala
  The Republic of Guatemala, a mountainous country that lies in the Central American isthmus, has an estimated population of 13 million people.
  Guatemala won its independence in 1821, following almost three centuries of Spanish colonial rule.
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